Bottle cap skirt contracting head



Fd, 1951 W. J. VEUDER Mmmm BOTTLE CAP SKIRT CONTRACTING HEAD Filed Nov. l, 1946 4 Sheets-Shee't l 1 EES- Em INVENTOR.

Mb @in Wl W. J. VEDDER mpm BOTTLE CAP sm'RT CONTRACTING HEAD Filed Nov. 1, 194e 4 shams-sheet a n INVENToR. wif/1mm J." Vedder @im f5? Wm W. J. Mmmm MMEW BOTTLE: CAP SKIRT CONTRACTING HEAD Filed Nov. l, 1946 4 Sl'leeLs-Sheey ES INVENTOR. )'l/llhdmfyedder Fm 31951 W. J. VEDDER BOTTLE CAP SKIRT CONTRCTNG HEAD 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. l, 1946 INVENTOR. M//lhmJVeaUer' BYJ/ffwn www Patented Feb. 6, 1951 BOTTLE CAP SKIRT CONTRACTING HEAD William J. Vedder, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Oswego Falls Corporation, Fulton, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 1, 1946, Serial No. 707,098

Claims.

This invention relates to contracting heads for contracting the skirt portion of the hood or cover-all bottle caps about the tops of bottles. These caps are formed of sheet material, such as paper, cellophane, or the like, and the marginal, or skirt, portion of the cap is preformed, or scored, to form overlapping pleats, or folds, when the skirt portion is contracted about the neck of the bottle. The cap skirt is held in such contracted condition by any suitable means, such as an adhesive. An example of the caps referred to is disclosed in Patent No. 2,268,004, to I. L. Wilcox.

Caps of this type are used very extensively for capping bottles of milk. The caps are applied to the bottles by an automatic machine, such as that shown in Patent No. 2,322,812, to A. A. Barnes, and the cap contracting head herein disclosed is intended particularly for use on that type of machine. It may, however, be mounted upon a suitable standard and operated by hand to cap one bottle at a time.

The invention has as an object a bottle cap skirt contracting head including a cap contracting unit which may be quickly and conveniently detached from the mechanism supporting it, permitting the unit to be conveniently cleaned and sterilized.

The invention has as a further object a cap skirt contracting head embodying a particularly simple structure by which the various parts making up the head, or the cap skirt contracting unit, may be quickly and conveniently dismantled for cleaning, or for repairs,

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions heref inafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side elevational view of a cap skirt contracting head embodying my invention, with parts broken away, and parts shown in section, the head being positioned above a bottle with a cap placed on the top thereof.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l, the bottle having been elevated into the head, and the parts having been moved to cap contracting position.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View of the structure shown in Figures l and 2, with the cap contracting members removed.

Figure 4 illustrates the cap contracting head mechanism disassembled, with parts shown in section.

Figure 5 is a view taken on line 5-, Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a view, similar to Figure 5, with the actuating cam moved to effect closing of the cap contracting members.

Figure 7 is a View taken on line 'i-l, Figure 1.

In general, the invention consists of a support including a bracket and a shaft journalled in the bracket, a cap skirt contracting unit comprising a body detachably secured to the lower end of the shaft and on which there is mounted an annular series of fingers, or cap skirt contracting members, which are movable radially inwardly and outwardly toward and from the center of the cap.

The unit further includes means, such as a cam, carried on the shaft and operable to move the skirt contracting members radially inwardly to contract, or fold, the skirt of the cap about the neck of the bottle, this latter operation being effected by'rotation, or oscillation, of the shaft in the bracket.

rIhe bracket l0 is adapted to be secured to the frame of the cap applying machine. The bracket shown is formed with a laterally extending boss l i provided with threaded apertures l2, whereby the bracket may be bolted to the machine. The bracket is provided with a bore in which a shaft I4 is journalled. The shaft lil extends upwardly beyond the top of the bracket, and is provided with an actuating member, shown in the form of a radially extending arm l5 xedly secured to the shaft by screw l1. The contraction of the cap skirt is brought about by effecting rotation, or partial rotation, of the shaft lli, which is brought about by the outer end of the arm l5 engaging, or being engaged by, a cam or similar part of the cap contracting machine. Preferably, an antifriction roller I8 is mounted upon the outer end of the arm l5.

The lower end of the shaft li depends below the lower end of the bracket it and has: secured thereto, by any suitable means, a cam wheel 2i] formed with a plurality of teeth or lobes 2l. The body 23, of the cap contracting unit, is apertured to receive the lower end of 'the shaft Id and is detachably secured thereto by a pin 2li extending through the body and through a transversely extending aperture formed in the lower end of the shaft i4.

The body 23 is formed with a plurality of radially extending bosses 21, each of which is formed with a slot 28. A cap skirt contracting member 29 is mounted in each of the slots 28. In the embodiment shown, each of the cap contracting members 29 is pivotally mounted upon a pin 3U extending through the boss 21 and projecting at transfer-rdito vthe bottle tops, or caps.

each end laterally therefrom, whereby the ends of the pins abut, see Figures and 7. All of the pins 3E are held in place by a single means in the form of a screw 32 threaded into the body intermediate one pair of the bosses 2, and being formed with a conical head engaging like ends of the pins 3i] positioned in the adjacent bosses whereby, when the screw 32 is tightened, the pins 3U are moved axially in the bosses 2l until the pins are held in abutting relationship, see Figure 7.

The lower ends of the cap contracting members 2S are arranged below the body 23 and are formed with arcuate cap engaging jaws 3i.` Theupper ends of these members extend abovethc body 23 and are provided with rollers 3l which are engaged by the cam lobes `2 E.Y The cap engagingV members, or the jaws 36 thereof, are yieldingly urged outwardly by a necklace spring SSeifCzircl-- ing the members above'the pivot pins` 30. 1

l The bottle B,w'ith a cap C placed ori the top thereof, is positioned in axial alinementwith the cap contracting 'unit and, upon relative axial movement between the bottleand the unit, the ski-rit portion ed of the cap is engaged-` by the jaws 36 and folded downwardly about the top of the contracting` head raised, to permit the bottle to be discharged'from the machine. I-t will be understood, by those familiar with the bottlelcapping art, that capping machines include mechanism Vfor eifee'tingsucli relative-axial movement be- -`tit/eeiitlfie bottle and the-contracting head.

Cover-all, or hoodI caps' of the type referred to are employed -forsani-tary protection of the top of the-bottle. This, however, is only one of a great 'rriany precautions 'now requiredl by the `health department of most all municipalities in protecting milk against contamii'fiation.v For eX- ample, it is also required that all machinery, ap-

paratus, andv equipment, used in the processing and packagingY of milk, be completely disassem- -bled,ic'leaned, and sterilized, daily. Y

In cap applying machinesV heretofore in use, the cap contracting heads have been assembled in the machines as an integralpart thereof and which could not be removed, or disassembled, except by a machine service man having the proper knowledge and tools to do so. Accordingly, vthe capcontractingheads-could not be properly, o r effectively, cleaned, although this is highly desirable because anything of a contaminating nature, collecting on the contracting headsgvfnay be VOccasionally milk, or milk products, are deposited on the cap contracting head. Thishappens from Vvarious causes, such as a bottle breaking during the capping operation. InV such cases, the'contracting head should be properly cleaned to prevent mey 'growth of bacteria.

The chiefobjet of this invention resides in a chine operator and, upon removal, he can cori-Y 4 leave it immersed in a sterilizing solution until he is ready to make the next capping run.

To remove the capping unit, including the body 23, the annular series of fingers 29, and spring 38, it is only necessary for the operator to remove the pin 25. The body 23 is apertured to receive the pin, and tlieshaft f4 isr als'oprovided with a transversely extending aperture42ywhereby the pin is effective to Adetachably secure the body to the lower end of the shaft in proximity to cam I 256. Thesidewalls of the aperture 42 in the shaft diverge outwardly from the axis of the shaft, see Figure 5, whereby relative rotation between the shaft andthe-body is permitted. The bottom side of the inner portion of the pin 25 is flattened as ated, seeiFiguresS and 4,*to provide a greater bearing surface on the bottom wall of the slot 42' in the shaft i4. The outer end of the pin 25 is provided with a spring pressed latch 45 having lan .en'd portion 4lbeing yieldinglyv positioned in .an aperture formed ini the top surface of thebody yZ3. by a spring" 48, see Figures t and 5, the latch 4B serving to prevent accidental displacement of the pin.

' .Relative rotation between the body 23andv the bracketilll is prevented by apin 49 depending from a'boss oformedo'n the .side of the. bracket,

the lower end ofthepin 4S being :positioned inan aperture 5i formed in the body 23. With this arrangement, the shaft l'4may be rotated sufficiently to causethe cam 20 to move the' fingers intocap contracting relation, as shown in Figuresizand 6, and the cap contracting unit iszremovable" from the support by simply 4removingvtlie'.pinV 2 5.

Y Preferably, the device includes a presser pad 54fhaving an elongated stemv 55- slidablymounted in the `shaft I4.. vThe presser V'pad is arranged centrally of the annular series of capcontracting members 29fand is yieldingly urged into engagenient with the top of the cap C by a compression spring 57 arranged in the upper portion of the bore in shaft id, with the 4upper end of thespring Esecured to a pin 58` extending transversely or the shaft. The sternl 55 is providedvvith-an elongated slotv or aperture 5S to Areci-:ive the pin-25 Sand limit the downward movement thereof. The

pin 25 also serves to detachably secure the presser pad tothe shaft I4, the elongated slot permitting the padrand the-stem to move upwardly `durvtion until they are remou'nted on vthe machine for the next run. Y

What I claim is:

l. Abottle cap skirt 'contracting head comprising a bracket, aV shaftjorirnalled inthe bracket,

va cap contractingwunit including la body detachably mounted on the lower end ofy said' shaft,

' means cooperable torestrainrotation ofsaid body relative to the bracket, ali-annular vseries of cap contracting members mounted upon'A saidbody and being'movable radially' inwardlya'nd outwardly toward and from the center of, the cap, means yieldingly yurging-'said members radially outwardly, andcain means carried by saids'haft and operable upon 4rotation thereof to move s'aid -cap contracting members radially inwardly to contract the cap skirt against the'bottl'e top.

2. A bottle cap skirt contracting head'co-nl1n prising a support including a bracket and a shaft journalled in said bracket, a cap skirt contracting unit including a body and an annular series of cap engaging members mounted on the body and movable radially inwardly and outwardly from the center of the cap, a presser pad arranged to engage the top of the cap and having a stem slidably mounted in said shaft, means yieldingly urging said presser pad into engagement with the top of the cap, a single means cooperable to detachably secure said cap contracting unit and said presser pad to the lower end of said shaft, means restraining said cap contracting unit against rotation relative to said shaft, and cam means carried by the shaft and operable upon rotation thereof to move said contracting members into engagement with the skirt portion of the cap to contract the same about the top of the bottle.

3. A bottle cap skirt contracting head comprising a support consisting of a bracket and a shaft journalled in the bracket, a cap skirt contracting unit, an annular series of cap skirt contracting members mounted upon said body and being movable radially inwardly and outwardly toward the center of the cap, a presser pad arranged within said annular series and adapted to engage the top of the cap and having a stem slidably mounted in said shaft, a pin extending through said body, shaft and stem, to detachably securerthe body and the presser pad to the lower end of said shaft and to permit relative rotation between said shaft and body, means cooperable to restrain said body from rotation relative to said bracket, means yieldingly urging said cap contracting members outwardly, and cam means carried by said shaft and operable upon rotation thereof to move said cap contracting members radially inwardly to contract the skirt portion of the cap against the top of the bottle.

4. A bottle cap skirt contracting head comprising a support including a bracket and a shaft journalled in the bracket, a cap skirt contracting unit including a body, an annular series of cap skirt engaging and contracting members pivotally mounted upon the body, each of said members being so mounted upon a pin detachably secured in the body, a single means cooperable to detachably secure all of said pins to the body, means yieldingly urging said contracting members radially outwardly, means operable to detachably secure the cap contracting unit to the support, and cam means carried by the support and operable to move said cap contracting members radially inwardly to contract the cap skirt against the bottle top.

5. A bottle cap skirt contracting head comprising a bracket, a shaft mounted vertically in the bracket and depending therefrom, a cap contracting unit comprising a body and an annular series of cap contracting members mounted on said body and being movable radially inwardly and outwardly toward and from the center of the cap, a single means cooperable to detachably secure said cap contracting unit to said shaft, a cam mounted on the shaft and operable upon rotation thereof to move said cap contracting members radially inwardly to contract the cap skirt against the bottle top.

WILLIAM J. VEDDER.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Ray et al. June 1., 1915 Number 

